Bill Elliott is Clay Tyndall, who heads to Bitter Creek upon hearing that his brother has been shot in the back and a big cattle outfit headed by Quentin Allen has moved onto his brother’s ranch.
He’s out to find his brother’s murderer, of course, and he quickly suspects the henchmen who work for Allen, like Vance Morgan and Oak Mason.
He also finds himself constantly bumping into, and becoming attracted to pretty Gail Bonner (Beverly Garland), who has moved West from St. Louis to marry Allen.
As for allies, he has two, a stage driver named A.Z. Platte and a drunken doctor named Prentiss.
Which makes things look pretty mismatched, except that Tyndall is more shrewd than the typical cowpoke.
As for Gail Bonner, she objects to violence. That makes Allen hesitate in dealing with this new threat to his cattle empire building, at least for a while.
Bill Elliott as Clay Tyndall, introducing himself to Quinten Allen in Bitter Creek (1954)
Beverly Garland as Gail Bonner, arriving in Bitter Creek to marry cattle king Quentin Allen in Bitter Creek (1954)
Review:
Like so many of Elliott’s Westerns, this is a mediocre affair with little to make it stand out in the crowd, though it has a bit more zest and vigor than many of his films from the early 1950s.
Credit a slightly more complex plot and the presence of longtime character actor Claude Akins in his first credited role. He plays one of Quentin Allen’s top henchmen, a man who fears his boss’s romance with Gail is making him soft in his dealings with Tyndall.
The film features a couple of ridiculous scenes — one at the beginning where Tyndall bursts into a hallway filled with gunmen and comes out unscathed. Another comes when he lures Oak Mason into an ambush with a note from a girlfriend, though Mason then admits he thought something was funny. Why? Because his girlfriend can’t write.
The fact that the lovers are so different in age (Elliott at 50; Garland at 28) doesn’t help matters. Or perhaps we should just assume Garland’s character preferred older men. Charleton Young, in the role of Quentin Allen, was 49.
Charleton Young as Quentin Allen, squared off against a vengeance-seeking Clay Tyndall in Bitter Creek (1954)
Claude Akins as Vance Morgan, cattle king Quentin Allen’s right-hand man in Bitter Creek (1954)
Directed by:
Thomas Carr
Cast:
Bill Elliott … Clay Tyndall
Charleton Young … Quentin Allen
Beverly Garland … Gail Bonner
Claude Akins … Vance Morgan
Jim Hayward … Dr. Prentiss
John Harmon … A.Z. Platte
Danny Mummert … Jerry Bonner
Veda Ann Borg … Whitey
John Pickard … Oak Mason
Forrest Taylor … Harley Pruett
Dabbs Greer … Sheriff
Holly Bane … Joe Venango
Runtime: 74 min.
Veda Ann Borg as Whitey, a saloon owner in love with Quentin Allen and feeling the sting of his hand in Bitter Creek (1954)
Jim Hayward as Dr. Prentiss, eager to help anyone who stands up against Quentin Allen in Bitter Creek (1954)
Memorable lines:
Vance Morgan, to Clay Tyndall, who’s just challenged him to fight: “Don’t tempt me. The boss says no trouble. He’s in a romantic fog. But you know how fogs are. They blow away.”
Quentin Allen, to Clay Tyndall: “Tyndall, I’m withdrawing that offer to buy you out. From now on, every minute you live is gravy.”
Oak Mason, after finding he’s been lured into a trap by a fake note from his girlfriend. “I thought there was something funny about that note. My girl can’t write.”
Clay Tyndall: “I wasn’t sure you could read.”
Clay Tyndall, to Quentin Allen: “I’ve got a bad habit of turning my back on you.”
Allen, aiming a gun at Tyndall; “Don’ worry. I’ll cure that.”
Whitey: “We were going to do great things for Bitter Creek, remember?”
Quentin Allen: “I am doing great things for Bitter Creek.”
Whitey: “Running over people?”
Allen: “Some people get in the way of great things.”
Beverly Garland as Gail Bonner, explaining how she met Quentin Allen to Clay Tyndall (Bill Elliott) in Bitter Creek (1954)
Danny Mummert as Jerry Bonner, Gail’s younger brother, helping Clay Tyndall out of a tight spot in Bitter Creek (1954)
Charleton Young as Quentin Allen, meeting bride-to-be Gail Bonner (Beverly Garland) as she arrives in Bitter Creek (1954)
Beverly Garland as Gail Bonner, helping tend Clay Tyndall’s (Bill Elliott’s) wound in Bitter Creek (1954)
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